Feeding and separating device for mail-marking machines.



w.. n. JONES. FEEDING AND SEPARATING DEVICE FOR MAIL MARKING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-25. I914- RENEWED JUNE 28, l9l6.

1,214,474. Patented Jan. 30,1917.

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w. n. JONES. NG AND SEPARATING DEVICE FOR MAIL MARKI APPLICATION FILED SEPT.25. 1914- RENEWED NG MACHINES.

JUNE 28.1916.

FEED! Patented Jan. 30, 1917.

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FEEDING AND SEPARATING DEVICE FOR MAIL MARKING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED sEPT.25. I9I4. RENEWED JUNE 28.1916.

1,244,474. Patented Jan. 30, 1917.

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Z// Y L 'I UE TTEEU TATE PATENT WILLIAM D. J'GNES, 0F BROOKLYN, NE'W YORK, ASEEIG-NGR TO UZIIVERSAL STAMPING MACHINE 00., 015 NEW YORK, N. 1., A CORPGBATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FEEDIN AND SEPARATING DEVICE FGR MAIL-MARKING REACT-TIMES.

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Application filed Septem er 25, 1914, Serial No. 883,455.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that 1, WILLIAM D. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residingat Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding and Separating Devices for Mail-Marking Machines; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is a novel improvement in machines for handling packages of various sizes, such as mail matter, and feeding same successively to subsequently operating devices, and it is especially adapted for feeding mail matter to the marking devices of so called stamp canceling machines.

The object of the invention is to provide automatic feeding devices which will certainly and automatically feed all of the packages from the holder to the operating devices.

Various feeding devices have been heretofore made some of which have been more or less automatic in operation, but in the prior devices when the supply of mail matter is almost exhausted the last few packages are not always properly delivered to the operating devices so that the attention of an operator is required to see that the final packages are fed to the operating devices.

One novel feature of the present invention is the provision of novel feeding means by which all the packages or mail matter placed upon the carrier will be properly fed therefrom to the operating devices, whether such packages be thick or thin,

Another feature of the invention is novel means for separating the packages so that they will be delivered one at a time from the carrier to the operating devices.

In stamp canceling machines, for example, it is essentially important that the mail matr be properly fed and that the articles of nail be separated so that the articles shall ass to the marking devices successively, one a time; and my invention provides reliable perfectly operating means for separating the nail matter as it leaves the carrier. It is t important in canceling mail matter, 1

nice chec IS, and the like, that the operation of the Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3Q, refit.

Renewed June 28, 1916. Serial No. 106,518.

canceling devices be absolutely perfect, and this perfection cannot be obtained unless the feeding and separating devices operate automatically and with absolute reliability.

1 will explain the aforesaid novel features in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my novel feeding and separating devices as employed in connection with a mail marking or stamp canceling machine of a well known type and will enable those familiar with the art to readily understand and use the same.

Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine showing the feed table. Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the feed devices in position to discharge the last one or two pieces of mail matter. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. i is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the devices for adjusting the yielding separating r ller. Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section on the line 6-6, Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail showing the separating roller support. Fig. Sis a detail plan view of the gearing shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a base or table upon which the operative parts of the machine are mounted, and which in the example shown is the top of a stamp canceling machine of a well known construction which need not be explained in detail herein. This machine is provided with rolls 1 and 1 to which the mail matter is successively fed by the feeding devices, forming the subject-matter of the present invention, and by which such mail matter is delivered to the.

marking devices, not shown.) or other apparatus for operating thereupon.

A transversely movable carrier 2 is preferably mounted upon the base by means of rollers 2 rolling upon the ten of the base. and said carrier is guided by means of roller 2 operating against transverse ribs 1 on the top of the base. The rollers 2 and 2* may be journaled upon stud bolts attached to bars Q on the under side of the carrier 2. The carrier may be kept from rising vertically by means of strips l attached to ribs 1 on top of the base i parallel with the ribs 1 and overhanging the roller 2 as shownv In this manner the carrier is mounted and guided upon the base. The carrier is normally moved rearward by suitable devices, preferably by means of a flexible strap 3 connected to the carrier and to a drum 3 which is normally operated in a direction to move the carrier toward the drum by means of a coil spring 3' attached to the drum and to its shaft 8 in the usual manner. The spring being held under any desired tension by means of the ratchet 3 engaged by pawl 3 posed shafts 4 4 such as are customarily used in the stamp canceling machines to which the invention is applied and which are driven by usual means, not forming part of the present invention, so as to move the forward run of the belt, (2', 6., the side toward the flange 2B) in a direction toward roller 1. The carrier has a longitudinal slot 2 to permit it to more under roller 4 and past the stud l The mail matter is stacked edgewise transversely of the carrier 2 and parallel with the flange 2 and between said flange and the belt 1-. The spring 3 moves the carrier rearward and causes flange 2 to exert pressure upon the mail matter and move it toward and against the belt 4, such pressure being maintained approximately uniformly until the entire mass of matter has been removed from the carrier. lVhen the mass of mail matter on the carrier is fairly thick it can be fed from the carrier with less trouble and better than in the feed-- ing devices heretofore employed in the type of machines to which my feeder is applied, because of the substantially uniform pressure of the mail matter toward and against belt l, whereas in. the previously used feeding devices, the pressure varies so much as to cause irregular feeding and this produces skips, hit backs, and a variety of disagreeable results which my invention overcomes. The mail matter is guided edgewise toward belt fl: by means of a guide 5 arranged at the inner, or left-hand, side of the carrier, and which extends from the front end of the carrier, when the latter is in its outermost position, inward toward the belt 4, and is curved at its inner end,

adjacent belt 4, as shown at 5 so as to allow the inner pieces of mail to pass to and between the roller l and a roller 6 which 00- operates with roll l and belt 4: to separate the pieces of mail and allow them to pass singly and successively to the forwarding rolls 1*, 1 Th guide 5 is provided with The mail matter is an uppermember 5 which lies above the roll :3, and its outer end is pivoted at 5 and its inner end 5 is curved around the axis of the roller 6 and extended beyond the roller 6 parallel with the belt 4. This part 5 assists in directing the mail matter from the carrier to and between the forwarding rolls 1, 1*.

As the carrier moves inward toward the belt l the mail matter decreases and when only a few pieces remain there is a tendency to buckle and jam such pieces, especially the last piece, if such pieces be thick,due to the curve of the guide 5 and part 5 and the fact that at such point the last piece of mail ordinarily would not be in contact with such guide. I have overcome this defect b attaching to the inner side of the flange 2 a slide 2*, which may be guided horizontally by means of headed pins 2 projecting through slots 2 in the flange 2. Said slide is normally pressed toward guide 5 by means of a spring 2 attached to one of the pins 2 and to a pin on the outer side of the flange 2 as shown in Fig. 3. The inner end of slide 2 normally contacts with the guide 5 under the tension of the spring 2-, and as the last piece of mail matter on the carrier rests against slide 2 when the slide 2' reaches the curved portion 5 of the guide the slide 2" moves to the left under the action of the spring 2 and causes the last piece or pieces of mail matter on the carrier, however thin, to follow up said curve before it reaches the belt 4 (see Fig. 2) and holds it up until it contacts the belt and is moved thereby from the carrier. This slide 2 thus effectively prevents buckling of the last few pieces of mail matter on the carrier and insures perfect and accurate delivery of the matter from the carrier. 7

To insure accurate feeding, accurate separation of the mail matter so that the articles thereof can be delivered singly and successively to the rolls 1 and 1 is necessary. lVithout perfect feeding and perfect separation the machine would not be trulv automatic and accurate in operation. The socallcd separating roller 6 rotates reversely to the belt 4 and preferably has a facing 6 (of rubber, cork, felt, or other substance,) which will frictionally contact with the surface of the pieces of mail and tend to retard the passage thereof, and if two pieces should start to pass between the rolls 6 and 4 at the same time, the separating roller 6 would hold back the outermost piece while the belt 4i would move onward the innermost piece; and thus but one piece will pass roller 6 at anv time. 7

The separating roller 6 is mounted upon a shaft 6 which is journaled in a sleeve 6 having a laterally projecting arm 6* by which it is pivoted on a stud 6 attached to the base 1. The sleeve 6 depends through an opening 1 in the frame 1, (see Fig. 7,) and on the lower end of shaft 6 is a worm gear 6 meshing with a worm 8 on a shaft 8 journaled in suitable brackets or bearings attached to the under side of the base 1. On this shaft 8 is a worm gear 8 meshing with a worm 4 on the lower end of the shaft 4 of roller 4?; and shaft 4 may be driven by a gear a from a driving gear, not shown; such as commonly used in stamp canceling machines. In this way the separating roller 6 may be slowly rotated in a direction contrary to the rotation of the roll 4 at any desired ratio. In this construction the roll 6 is driven reversely and very slowly as compared with the forward movement of the belt a. If it were not for wear on the facing 6 of the separating roller it would not be necessary to have it turn at all; but if itwere fixed the wear would all come at one place and would soon result in imperfect separation. The separating roller is therefore preferably so geared to the roll 6 as to rotate say once to each one hundred rotations of roller a; there should be just enough movement to uniformly distribute wear on the facing 6 to keep such facing 6 constantly true, and this insures precisely uniform separation.

For different kinds of matter to be handled, the force or pres-sure exerted by the separating roller 6 against or toward the belt a may be regulated by means of suitable yielding devices as follows :As shown, an ordinary wire spring 7 is fulcrumed on a stud 7 and has one arm bearing against sleeve 6 and its other arm bears against an adjusting device, which comprisesa lever 7 loosel pivoted on stud 7 above the spring, said arm having a depending lug 7 that is engaged by the arm of the spring. The lever 7 is engaged by a screw 7 tapped through a stud 7 on the base plate as shown, see Figs.

N 5 and 6. By adjusting the screw 7 3 the lever 7 can be moved toward or from the sleeve 6 and thus increase or diminish the pressure exerted by the spring 7 upon the sleeve 6 to press roller 6 toward, or against, the belt 4.

While I have described the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings as applied to a well known form of stamp canceling machine the invention is of course adaptable to other machines for feeding other kinds of matter such as articles and packages. Further while the described embodiment of the invention is the present preferred form thereof, the invention is not restricted to the specific construction, form or arrangement of parts shown, as changes can be made in the form and proportions thereof, and equivalents could be substituted especially for the spring and gearing shown, without departing from the essential features of the invention, and the following claims set forth what I claim as my invention and desire to protect.

What I claim is:

1. In a feeding device of the character specified, the combination with a movable vertically disposed feed roller, a carrier adapted to support the matter to be separated movable to and from said roller, means for moving said carrier toward said roller with uniform pressure, and means mounted on the carrier for causing the matter thereon to be presented to the feed beltwith substantial uniformity.

2. In a feeding device of the character specified, the combination of a sliding carrier upon which the matter to be fed is stacked edgewise, a feed belt arranged to operate transversely of the carrier, means on the carrier for holding the mail matter thereon between said means and the belt, and means for moving the carrier so as to present the said matter toward and against the belt with substantially uniform pressure.

3. The combination with a movable carrier adapted to bodily support the mail matter to be separated, a transversely disposed feed belt for removing the articles separately from the carrier, means for moving the carrier toward the belt and causing it to present the mail matter against the beltwith substantially uniform pressure, a separating roller beside the carrier and adjacent the belt adapted to prevent the passage of more than one article at a time from the carrier, and means for rotating said separating roller-slowly reversely to the belt.

a. The combination with forwarding means, a guide for directing the articles to the forwarding means, the inner end of said guide adjacent the forwarding device being curved in the direction of discharge of the articles, means for moving articles lengthwise of said guide toward the forwarding devices, and means whereby the articles are caused to move transversely of the guide and follow up the curved part thereof as they approach the forwarding means.

The combination of a carrier, means for discharging articles from the carrier, means for moving the carrier toward said discharging means to bring the articles successively thereto, and means on the carrier whereby the'tinal packages are caused to move in the direction of discharge as they approach the discharging means. substantially as described.

6. The combination of a carrier, means for discharging articles from the carrier. means for moving the carrier toward said discharging means to bring the articles successively thereto, a guide beside the carrier extending toward the discharging means and having its ends adjacent said means curved in the direction of the discharge of the articles, and means on the carrier whereby packages are caused to move transversely of the guide and follow the curve of the guide, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a feed belt, a carrier operating transversely of said belt and upon which the matter to be fed is placed, a guide extending beside the carrier toward the belt and having its end adjacent the belt curved in the direction of movement of the belt, and a slide on said carrier adapted to cause'the final piecesofmatter on the carrier to follow the curve of'the guide as they approach the belt. V

8. The combination of a feed belt, a carrier operating transversely of said belt and provided with a flange substantially parallel with the belt, and between which flange and the belt the matter to be fed is placed, a guide extending beside the carrier toward 7 the belt and having its end adjacent the belt curved in the direction of movement of the belt, and means attached to said flange adapted to cause the final pieces of matter on the carrier to follow the curve of the guide as they approach the belt.

9. The combiiiation of a movable carrier adapted to support the articles to be sepa rated, meansfor discharging articles from the carrier, means for moving the carrier toward said discharging means to bring the articles successively thereto, and means on the carrier whereby the final packages are caused to move in the direction of discharge; with means for moving the carrier toward the discharging means to hold the articles in contact therewith under substantially uniform pressure.

10. The combination of a feed belt, a carrier operating transversely of said belt and provided with a flange substantially parallel with the belt, a guide extending beside the carrier toward the belt and having its end adjacent the belt curved in the direction of movement of the belt, means attached to said flange and adapted to contact the guide and to cause the final articles or pieces on the carrier to follow the curve of the guide as they approach the belt, and means for moving the carrier toward the belt to hold the articles in contact therewith in substantially uniform pressure.

11. The combination of a movable carrier adapted to support the articles to be separated, means ior discharging articles from the carrier, means for moving the carrier toward said discharging means to bring the articles successively thereto, and means on the carrier whereby the final packages are caused to move in the direction of discharge; with means for moving the carrier toward the discharging means to hold the articles in contact therewith under substantially uniform pressure, and separating devices beside the discharging means and adjacent'the inner end of the guide adapted to.

prevent the passage of more than one piece of matter at a time from the carrier.

12. The combination'of a feed belt, a carrier operating transversely of' said belt, a guide extending beside the carrier toward the belt and having its end adjacent the belt curved in the direction of movement of the belt, a slide attached to said carrier and adaptedto contact the guide and to cause the final articles or pieces on the carrier to follow the curve of the guide as they approach the belt, means for moving the carrier toward the belt to hold the articles in contact therewith-under substantially uniform pressure, and separating devices adapted to prevent the passage of more than one piece of matter at a time from the carrier.

13. The combination of a feed belt, a carrier operating transversely of said belt and provided with a flange substantially parallel with the belt, and between which flange and the belt the matter to be fed is placed, a guide extending beside the carrier toward the belt and having its end adjacent the belt curved in the direction of movement of the belt, and devices attached to said flange and adapted to contact the guide and to cause the final articles or pieces on the carrier to follow the curve of the guide as they approach the belt; with means for moving the carrier toward the belt, a separating roller beside the belt and adjacent the inner end.

of the guide, said roller rotating reversely to the belt and adapted to prevent the passage of more than one piece of matter at a time from the carrier.

14. The combination of a feed belt, a carrier operating transversely of said belt and upon which the matter to be fed is placed, a guide extending beside the carrier toward the belt and having its end adjacent the belt curved in the direction ofmovement of the belt, and a slide on said carrier adapted to cause the final pieces of matter on the carrier to follow the curve of the guide as they approach the belt; with a separating roller beside and operating with the feed belt, adjustable spring means for holding said separating roller yieldingly toward the belt, and means whereby the separating roller is rotated reversely to the belt at greatly reduced speed.

15. The combination with an endwise movable carrier adapted to bodily support the matter to be separated, means operating transversely of the carrier for removing articles separately from the carrier, and spring actuated means for moving the carrier endwise toward the removing means and causing it to present the matter to and against said means substantially as described.

16. The combination with an endwise movable carrier adapted to bodily support the mail matter to be separated, a transversely disposed feed belt extending across the path of the carrier and adapted to move the articles separately from the carrier, and means for moving the carrier endwise toward the belt and causing it to present the mail matter to and against the belt substantially as described.

17. The combination with an endwise 3 movable carrier adapted to bodily support articles separately from the carrier, and

spring actuated means for moving the carrier endWise toward the moving means and 15 causing it to present the matter to and against said means; With separating means adapted to prevent the passage of more than one article at a time from the carrier.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing 20 Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

